Jan Ward's address at Henley Business School
Corrotherm’s CEO Jan Ward has been out and about again, this time giving a passionate and exciting talk at Henley Business School.
Her talk, ‘Every Day’s A School Day… Building A Successful Business From Scratch’, drew on her extensive experience of running her own business. She looked at the personal challenges that she has faced over the last 23 years, since she began Corrotherm International from her bedroom office – things have certainly changed a bit since then!
She also discussed the current issues that she has to face as both a business leader and within the energy sector, and how she has to work to overcome these and find innovative solutions to problems.
Everyone at Corrotherm knows how inspiring Jan’s story of building up a multi-national company is, and we’re inspired by her enthusiasm daily. However, we can’t keep her, or her keen advice, all to ourselves, and the audience were certainly appreciative of the chance to hear her speak, finding it a “truly motivational” experience.
During the session, Jan shared her thoughts on what has made her such a successful business leader, especially being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and put it down to three key areas: People, Money and Brand.
It’s also important to have a handle on ‘Money’ and a “good relationship with your bank manager”, said Jan, to ensure that the business stays financially viable. Finally, the ‘Brand’ is essential, which Jan described as “your identity and what you stand for”. This translates into the way that you understand and deal with your customers, which is an area in which our Sales team excels.
Of these three elements, it comes as no surprise to us that Jan listed ‘People’ as coming first. A quick look through our recent Meet the Team blogs shows how many of the staff here choose to stay with us for many years. We also make a point of supporting our people in their career development, as our sales assistant Will Best, who joined us as on an apprenticeship, will testify.
Jan was certainly in the right place to help inspire future and current business leaders. The Henley Business School, founded in 1945, is among the world’s best business schools, often ranked in the top 50 by the Financial Times and The Economist. It is the students at this school that will help to shape the future of so many different industries, including energy, gas and oil.
The audience included both students and SME business directors, hoping to make the same success out of their own enterprises as Jan has exhibited here at Corrotherm.
Jan’s motivating speech won praise among the attendees, with one Henley PhD student left wanting to hear even more: “I learnt so much and I wish I could get to hear Jan again.”
The business leaders in attendance were also suitably impressed. Nigel Penn-Simkins, MD of Article 10, says: “A wonderful speaker! Jan was willing to share all aspects of her journey, from the beginning to the successful position of the business today… truly inspiring.”
Jan’s personable approach to business and willingness to encourage others is what makes her a popular speaker at events such as this. The talk was filmed and will shortly be available to view online on the Henley Business School website. Keep an eye on this blog for future talks.
